What else can one irrationally do? Take out an ad in the classifieds? Write a letter to the editor? In a fit of rationality, contact the AMA? Desperate times call for some interesting alternate rationalities.

Definitely an interesting and creative response. (I hope there aren't too many voodoo practitioners in the area.)

I have a question. I don't know anything about Medicare or how it works really, so bear with me. I know that if someone presents herself as a Medicare patient, but says "I'll pay cash to make up the difference," you can not accept that person while still refusing other Medicare people so you end up just not accepting them. HOWEVER, what if someone presents herself to you as an uninsured individual with cash to pay? If she'd said to Mary "I'm going to just pay cash," would you have taken her? And then, is there a way for her to file the claims on her own by submitting the bills, without dragging you into it? Just curious. I certainly don't advocate lying to one's physician, but I've heard of people who can't get care because of having Medicare, when they are totally able to pay the difference, and it seems really sad. Or, what if they just don't even file a claim at all but simply pay for your office calls out of pocket, and then only try to get paid for any hospitalizations or big diagnostics? So they act like a cash patient all along and then later on say "um, we're going to need to bill Medicare for this, it's too much." Is that even possible? Again, I know it's unethical to lie to a physician and I don't recommend it. I'm just curious about how this stuff works.

@ Pattie, RN - True, but she might not have been Wiccan... there are a couple of modern Pagan trads that don't follow the Rule of Three as well as individual practitioners. It makes for as interesting debates as some of the Christian denominational debates!

I'm Episcopalian raised CofC but I have a Wiccan & one Norse Pagan family member as well as friends who are various Pagan flavors as well.

Doesn't surprise me. Years ago when I worked for an insurance company we had to reissue a new policy because the applicant wouldn't accept the one sent her - Policy Number 466666666. The mark of the beast, you know.....

Once you know they're Medicare, you can't accept them as patients. So it would be GREAT if they presented themselves as cash patients and then just shut up about it. The problem is: Medicare patients don't want to pay for ANYTHING. Not even $2 for meds. Erego, they will always announce they have medicare.

I hated turning em away from my old practice. Always such a runaround.

Welcome to my whining!

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